Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device and imaging control apparatus that include a user interface configured to do various kinds of settings and a control method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
In general, there is known an electronic device that provides, as a user interface, a setting screen configured to do various kinds of settings using a display device. Such an electronic device has various contrivances to improve user operability. For example, a digital camera contrives a user interface that allows a user to more easily make settings such as a shutter speed, f-number, auto focus mode, white balance, and ISO at the time of shooting.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-177365 (to be referred to as literature 1 hereinafter) describes a function of displaying a list of the contents of a plurality of setting items as characters. Literature 1 explicitly describes that when a setting item is selected from the displayed list, a sub screen is displayed to allow the user to change the setting. In addition, when the display returns from the sub screen to the list display, the setting item of the changed setting is highlighted for a predetermined period in the list display. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-110434 (to be referred to as literature 2 hereinafter) describes a user interface using a screen in which pieces of information about the items of shooting conditions are arranged in a matrix on an item basis. According to literature 2, the user is caused to select a desired setting item on such a screen by operating an XY-direction operation unit, and after selection of the desired setting item, set the condition by a rotation operation of a dial.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-159180 (to be referred to as literature 3 hereinafter) proposes an imaging apparatus capable of laying out a GUI (Graphical User Interface) button selected by the user out of a plurality of GUI buttons indicating various kinds of setting items at a position designated by the user. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-083537 (to be referred to as literature 4 hereinafter) proposes changing the size of an input enable area (a so-called touch button that is a kind of GUI button) displayed on a touch panel such that it fits to the size of the finger of the user who operates the touch panel. Japanese Patent No. 5153512 (to be referred to as literature 5 hereinafter) proposes an imaging apparatus that displays setting values, which can be set in a case in which a shooting condition compensation function and an auto bracketing function are used in combination, in association with a scale.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-305360 (to be referred to as literature 6 hereinafter) proposes a customized menu method for a hierarchical menu and a television system using this method.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-168256 (to be referred to as literature 7 hereinafter) proposes a camera which, after the user selects a distance measuring point or sets an automatic selection state of the distance measuring point, always displays the set distance measuring point or the automatic selection state, thereby allowing the photographer to confirm distance measuring point information even if the camera is let stand after the setting of the distance measuring point.
In literature 1, according to selection of a setting item, a transition to the sub screen configured to change the setting state of the selected setting item occurs. The user changes the setting state on the sub screen. On the other hand, literature 2 describes an arrangement that enables a setting state to be changed by rotating a dial when the user selects a desired setting item on a screen on which a plurality of setting items are displayed as a list. Hence, according to literature 2, the setting state of a desired setting item can be changed without causing a transition to a sub screen. Additionally, in literature 2, if a specific button is operated in a state in which the desired setting item is selected, a transition to a sub screen that displays a list of setting states settable for the selected setting item occurs, and the setting can be changed on the screen.
However, both literatures 1 and 2 only describe selecting a desired setting state from a plurality of setting states arranged in one layer. However, some setting items have setting states in a plurality of layers. For example, white balance has a layer of first setting values (setting modes) for specifying a type (one of auto (AWB), sunlight, shade, color temperature, and the like) and a layer of second setting values (Kelvin values) that represent specific values of the color temperature when the first setting value is the color temperature. In a user interface that selects one of setting states arranged in one layer, as in literatures 1 and 2, a screen used to select the first setting value and a screen used to set the second setting value need to be prepared for one setting item “white balance”. In this case, when setting the white balance, screen switching occurs, resulting in a cumbersome operation.
If the number of types of setting values to be displayed increases, the display size of the setting item also increases probably. When displaying a list of setting items, as in literature 1, if the display size of a setting item is large, the area to display other setting items becomes tight. Hence, concerning the white balance, a user who rarely sets a color temperature and normally only needs to change the setting state of the first setting value probably wants a setting item that enables the first setting value to be changed easily and has a small display size. On the other hand, a user who often sets a color temperature for the white balance probably wants a setting item that enables the setting state of the second setting value to be changed easily even if the display size becomes large.
The contents of information display that the user expects of a display item may change between a case in which a setting is done to display the display item large and a case in which a setting is done to display the display item small. For example, the setting to display the display item small is assumed to be done considering that the information amount of the setting item corresponding to the display item can be small. On the other hand, the setting to display the display item large may be done in expectation of detailed information easy to understand about the setting contents of the setting item corresponding to the display item. For example, the user is assumed to expect information display that needs a large display area using a scale, as in literature 5. However, in the conventional technique as described in literature 4, even when the size of a display item is changed, the display contents do not change, and contents of information display expected by the user for each size of the display item are not obtained.
There is an execution method of, upon receiving an instruction to execute a function, displaying a confirmation screen to ask whether to do execution and executing the function in accordance with an execution confirmation operation. This can prevent the user from erroneously executing the function. However, since the confirmation operation is necessary, the number of operations increases. In a customized screen for which the user selects items to be displayed, as described in literatures 3 and 6, the user knows the functions of the displayed functions well, and attention call such as the confirmation screen may be unnecessary.
When displaying an item concerning a focus position such as a distance measuring point in accordance with user selection, as in literature 3, the size of an item to display one item is fixed in the method of literature 3. It is therefore difficult to adjust the information amount of the item concerning the focus position in accordance with the application purpose of the user. Especially in a setting associated with the focus position, when the user wants to only confirm the setting value about the focus adjustment area, a display area of a small area suffices. However, to confirm a plurality of positions selectable as a focus adjustment position and a selected focus position, a display area of a large area is needed. In addition, the value that should undergo setting change is different.